Paint it Black
by ButterflyMiko
Summary: The Watanabe family is an ancient powerful family. Kuri was trained as a miko since birth and cursed with a dark spirit inside her she was meant to purify. Hatsuharu crosses paths with her and finds her abused and hurt by her family and feels he must protect her from the darkness.
1. Black and Blue

Kuri Hikawa, age ten ran after Hatsuharu Sohma, also age ten, chasing after a ball right past him.

"Kick it to me ok!" Haru said backing up, in position.

They kicked it back and forth, until Gym was over.

Kuri packed up her things and headed to the front of the school building, running into a tall, handsome man.

Haru watched as the little girl went rigid and looked down.

"My apologies Father." Kuri said.

"You useless child. Unable to do your one function." Father said. "You can't even do the task you were born for!"

Bam! The ball hit the man in the face.

Haru stood there, infuriated and black as night.

"Apologize to Kuri!" Haru demanded. "You don't get to tell her why she was born! That's my job! She was born to meet me ya hear!"

Kuri looked at Haru in horror.

Her father grabbed her by the wrist. "You won't be coming back here and making anymore violent allies. You know how much your mother suffers when your away. You will be homeschooled from now on."

Haru caught the ball and watched the man take Kuri away.

He couldn't let this happen. He had to take her away from there, to protect her.

Hatsuharu wanted to become strong.


	2. Free At Last

Kuri was twelve now.

She was locked in a dark, padded room with wards all over it to keep her from escaping or using her magic to blast her way out.

Every now and then her unexercised powers would explode out of her malnourished frame and she would hit the wall forcefully and the wards would blast her back.

She had been locked up after her mother's death.

She couldn't remember her face.

The woman who had sworn to protect her always. Who had loved her unconditionally.

Who had damned her.

Kuri heard sounds in the hallway.

Crashes, and screams. Her first thought was that her powers had expanded and somehow she was hurting them from far away now.

But then Hatsuharu appeared at the door, looking infuriated.

He barreled through the door like some sort of great ox.

He reached out to carry her away, then jerked back as if remembering something.

"It's alright Haru-ko. I can walk."

His expression softened at her nickname, and he grasped her and and pulled her swiftly through the halls and out of the compound, then took her hands, and, without embracing her, kissed her.

"You're safe now." He smoothed her hair. "I won't ever let anyone hurt you again."


	3. Escalation

Kuri straightened her uniform. She was sixteen now.

It had been years since she'd seen Hatsuharu.

After he had saved her, the head of the Sohma family had arranged for her to live with her Grams on her mother's side, outside the family that had abused her.

For years it had been extreme Miko training on an island, becoming a fierce warrior maiden.

Now she was back, and she was attending the entrance to Kaibara.

Haru was going to be there.

Kuri beamed and headed to the school.

Running up to the steps she stopped.

"Just where do you think you're going, abomination?"

Akito turned to her, a cold smile on his lips.

Kuri looked up at the window and caught Haru's eye. He saw her with Akito and started to run to her.

He could not let her to be hurt ever again, not even by Akito.


	4. Pain

"I am going to teach you not to mess with the Sohma family." Akito whispered.

He swung back to strike her—

And struck Hatsuharu, standing between them, instead.

"H-Haru?" Kuri said.

"D-Don't touch her!" Haru said, fear and anger and panic in his voice. "Don't make her feel anymore pain! Her life has been hard enough!"

"Yes. The jewel of the Hikawa clan. A 'hard' life?! Ha!" Akito struck Haru again.

Kuri gripped his wrist, her eyes boring into the head of the family's skull.

"I don't care who you are. No one strikes my Haru! He's a hero! A great man! What are you? Who are you?!"

Akito dropped his hand. "Stop it! Hatsuharu! Stop! You can't leave; I-I..."

"I don't know why I was by your side in the first place." Haru snapped, and picked Kuri up bridal style and took her with him.

He didn't know why there was no transformation, and he didn't care anymore. He was hers, and hers alone.


End file.
